Mechanical movers for telescoping gymnasium seating-structures and the like



Dec. 25, 1962 R. J. MURPHY 3,069,733

MECHANICAL MovERs FOR TELEscoPING GYMNASIUM SEATING-STRUCTURES AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 4, 1959 "mi "III INVENTOR. RAYMOND J. MURPHY 'lll ATTY.

Dec. 25, 1962 R. J. MURPHY MECHANICAL MovERs R TELEscoPING 3,069,733 GYMNASIUM IKE FO SEATING-STRUCTURES AND THE L 3 Sheets-Shee1`l 2 Filed March 4, 1959 ATT Y.

Dec. 25, 1962 R. J. MURPHY 3,069,733

MECHANICAL MOVERS FOR TELESCOPING GYMNASIUM SEATING-STRUCTURES AND THE LIKE Filed March 4, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 RAYMOND J. MURPHY BY Z e IA/A2M ATT Y.

United tates atet 3,06%,733 Patented Dec. 25, 1962 ice 3,069,733 MECHANICAL MGi/ERS FR TELESCPING GYM- NASIUM SEATING-STRUCTURES AND THE LIKE Raymond .I. Murphy, Alton, Mo., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Medart Lockers, Inc. Filed Mar. 4, 1959, Ser. No. 797,238 6 Claims. (Cl. Ztl-1.226)

This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in gymnasium equipment and, more particularly, to a mechanical mover for telescoping gymnasium seating-structures and the like.

School gymnasiums, auditoriums, and the like, are usually designed to serve many purposes and, therefore, it has become an accepted practice to employ seatingstructures which can be opened up or closed up as circumstances may require. Seating-structures of this type are commonly referred to as telescoping bleachers and ordinarily consist of a plurality of strong steel frames which nest one within the other and carry horizontal seat-boards and foot-boards in suitably spaced relation to provide tiers of bleachLr-like seats. When in closed position, the entire structure is telescoped compactly against the wall and extends outwardly into the gymnasium only a short distance. The several tiers lie in vertically spaced relation one within the other and usually are provided with fascia boards which are vertically aligned in wall-forming relation.

Telescoping bleachers, of course, must be built of strong heavy materials in order to support the total weight of the number of persons who will be seated thereon and, consequently, the combined efforts of several workmen are required to move such structures froml open to closed position. Moreover, the workmen, as a rule, are no-t evenly matched in strength, with the result that the several tiers will not be pulled out in a straight line so as to be truly perpendicular to the wall against which the seating-structure is mounted. This out-of-line movement is referred to as crabbing and, in large seating-structures, can result in lateral deviations of as much as three or four inches from the normal stra-ight line or path of opening movement. Thus, when a number of such seating-structures are mounted against a gymnasium wall in side-by-side relation, one improperly opened sea-ting-structure will interfere with the normal opening of the next adjacent seating-structure.

Obviously, various more or less complicated poweractuated systems can be devised and built into newly constructed telescoping bleachers, but many schools have comparatively new and completely serviceable seatingstructures which are already installed and the schools cannot afford to replace them.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present inventlon to provide a mechanical mover for telescoping bleachers which can be applied equally well to existing installations and to new installations.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a power-driven device for moving telescoping bleachers into open and closed positions, which device is simple, efficient, and economical, bo-th as to original cost and subsequent maintenance.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a gym seat mover of the type stated which can be readily adapted for use with, or attached to, various different types of existing telescoping bleachers regardless of variations in the design of such bleachers.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a gym seat mover, which, in telescoped position, is extremely compact and can be readily extended to open position, the length of which is many times greater than the length of the closed position.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a gym seat mover of the type stated having a plurality of telescoping sections which are articulated with respect to each other in a simple, economical and highly efficient manner so that the entire structure may be shifted from closed to open position or open to closed position at a relatively rapid rate with a minimum of power loss due to friction and mechanical inefficiency.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompany-ing drawings (three sheets):

FIG. l is a side elevational view of a telescoping bleacher equipped with a mechanical mover constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, are fragmentary sectional views taken along lines 2 2, 3 3, and 4 4, respectively, of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are fragmentary sectional views taken along lines 5 5 and 6 6, respectively, of FIG. 2;

FiG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 7 7 of FIG. l;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the telescoping bleacher and associated mechanical mover in open position; and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along line` 9 9 of FIG. 8. v i Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the presen-t invention, A designates a telescoping seating-structure or bleacher which includes a main or rear frame 1 consisting of a suitable plurality of transversely spaced uprights 2, cross-connected at their upper ends by means of a horizontally extending angle-iron member 3 and at their lower ends by a horizontally extending channel-iron member 4.

Mounted upon the upper end of, and extending horizontally between the uprights 2, is a seat-board 5 and similarly mounted directly beneath and extending along,

the seat-board 5 is a fascia-board 6. The seat-board 5 and fascia-board 6 are supported by brackets 7 having the shape of an inverted L and being w-lded or otherwise suitably fastened at their upper ends to the uprights 2.

Also welded to the uprights 2 and projecting horizontally forwardly therefrom is a beam 8 provided at its outer end with a bracket 9 of inverted U-shape for supporting -a seat-board 10 and -a fascia-board 11. Also rigidly mounted upon the beam 8 and extending horizontally therebetween in intermediate relation to the brackets 7, 9, is a foot-board 12. As can be seen by reference to FIG. 8, a person sitting on the seat-board S can rest his feet upon the foot-board 12. At their lower ends, each of the uprights 2 is rigidly fastened to the gym oor f by means of a bolt 13 and the uprights 2 are furthermore rigidly attached to a conventional gymnasium wall or similar masonry structure by means of conventional tie-bolts (not shown), so that the entire top or main seating tier T1 will be rigid, permanent, and stationary.

As will be evident by reference to FIG. 3, the beam 8 has a channel-shaped cross-sectional configuration with a short upturned fiange 14 which, in effect, forms a horizontal slide for receiving a companion-shaped slide shoe i5 which is, in turn, rigidly welded upon the upper end of an upright 17. Welded to the upright 17 in downwardly spaced relation to the shoe 1S is a beam 8 which projects horizontally forwardly therefrom, and is provided at its outer end with a bracket 9 of inverted U-shape for supporting a seat-board iti' and a fascia-board Il. Although only the one upright 17 and beam 8 are shown for each tier in FIGS. l and 8, it should be apparent from FIGS. 2 and 9 that each tier of the seating-structure or bleacher A will include a plurality of such uprights 17 and beams 8 arranged in laterally spaced relation and cross-connected by means of an angle-iron member 3' and a channel-iron member 4'. Secured upon and extending horizontally between the beams 8' is a foot-board 12' which is located rearwardly of the bracket 9' in a convenient position for receiving the feet of a person seated on the seat-board 10. Except for its length, the beam 8' is substantially identical in shape and function with the beam 8 and similarly the bracket 9', the seat-board 10', the fasciaboard 11', and the foot-board 12 are substantially similar in all respects to the previously described bracket 9, seatboard 10, fascia-board 11, and foot-board 12. At their lower ends, the uprights 17 are provided with small wheels or rollers 18 which facilitate movement across the floor f. The uprights 17 together with the beam S', the seat-board 10', the fascia-board 11', and the foot-board 12 thus form the second tier T2 of the seating-structure or bleacher A. y

As shown in FIGS. l and 8, the seating-structure or bleacher A consists of a series of substantially identical additional tiers T3, T4, T5, each including uprights 17, beams 8', brackets 9', seat-boards 10', fascia-boards 11', and foot-boards 12', the uprights 17 being cross-connected by angle-'iron members 3', channel-iron members 4', and being supported upon the floor f by wheels or rollers 1S. It will, of course, be understood that any number of such tiers may be employed, depending upon the size and dimensions of the particular seating-structure or bleacher A. It should also be pointed out that the lowermost tier, as herein designated, T is provided at its forward end with short vertical downwardly extending auxiliary legs 19 having floor-engaging wheels or rollers 20 and the fasciaboard 11' of this particular tier extends from the seatboard lfb thereof downwardly almost to the floor j. Each of the beams 8 and 8' are also provided with stopforming members 21 Welded thereto as shown in FIG. 4 and positioned for endwise abutment against the shoes 15, so as to limit forward travel of the respective tiers as the seating-structure or bleacher A is shifted to open position.

As will be seen by reference to FIG. 2, the seatingstructure or bleacher A includes two sets of uprights 2, 17, which are located equidistantly on opposite sides of the center line of the structure and are provided adjacent their lower ends with vertically spaced pairs of angleiron members 22, 23, which co-operate to define a slideway spacefor receiving the several pivotally connected links of a lazy-tongs element 24, the forward links of which are provided with depending ball-bearing rollers 25 operatively mounted in a horizontal slide-way 26 carried by the forwardmost tier T5. The rearwardmost links of the lazy-tongs element 24 are pivotally attached by means of stud-pins 27, 27', as shown in FIG. 7, to nuts 28, 28', respectively, and the latter are, in turn, operatively mounted upon the lefthand threaded and righthand threaded portions of a double-handed lead-screw 29, which is, in turn, journaled at its ends in mounting plates 30, 31, welded to or otherwise rigidly attached upon the uprights 2. At one end, the lead-screw 29 is turned down in the provision of a shaft portion 32 which projects into and is journaled within the box-like housing 33. Keyed, pinned, or otherwise rigidly mounted upon the shaft portion 32 within the housing 33 is a worm gear 34 which meshes with a worm 35 keyed upon a jack shaft 36 which is also journaled within the housing 33 and is provided at one end with a spur gear 37 meshing with a driving gear 38 pinned upon the drive shaft 39 of an electric motor 40, the latter being suitably mounted upon a mounting plate or bracket 41 carried by the housing 33. When the telescopic seating-structure or bleacher A is in closed position, as shown in FIGS. l and 2, the nuts 28, 28', will be positioned outwardly along the lead-screw 29 at maximum distance from each other. The motor 40, of course, is connected by means of conventional electrical wiring and switching (not shown) to a suitable source of electric power. In this connection, it should also be noted that the motor 40 is of the reversible type and the electrical connections and switch are also arranged so that, upon proper manipulation of the switch, the motor may turn in either direction as desired. The reversible character of' the motor and the electrical wiring associated therewith is, of course, quite common and well understood to those familiar with this art and is, therefore, not specifically shown or described. It is suflicient, merely, to note that when the motor 40 is energized so as to turn in the proper direction, the lead-screw 29 will be rotated and the nuts 28, 28', will be translated inwardly toward each other and thereby causing the lazy-tongs element 24 to move into the extended position shown in FIG. 9, thereby shifting the seating-structure or bleacher A into open position, as shown in FIG. 8. By reversing the motor, the lead-screw 29 is turned in the opposite direction, shifting the nuts 28, 28', outwardly away from each other and retracting the seating-structure or bleacher A to the position shown in FIGS. l and 2.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the mechanical movers for telescoping gymnasium seating-structures and the like may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A foldable seating-structure adapted to shift across a floor or similar support from a closed position against a wall to an operi position in which the seating-structure extends outwardly from the wall, said seating-structure comprising a plurality of telescoping frames, means associated with each of said frames for defining a horizontal slot, said means in each frame being so located that the horizontal slots defined thereby are in substantial registration with each other, a longitudinally extensible and contractible lazy-tongs member slidably mounted within and extending horizontally through said slots, slide means for slidably connecting said lazy-tongs member at its forward end to the forwardmost one of said frames, means operatively engaging the rear end of said lazy-tongs member for causing said lazy-tongs member to extend and contract, and power-actuated means operatively connected to said last-named means for driving said last-named means and for causing said lazy-tongs member to extend and contract.

2. A foldable seating-structure adapted to shift across a fioor or similar support from a closed position against a wall to an open position in which the seating-structure extends outwardly from the wall, said seating-structure cornprising a plurality of telescopin g frames, means associated with` each of said frames for dening a horizontal slot, said means in each frame being so located that the horizontal slots defined thereby are in substantial registration with each other, a longitudinally extensible and contractible lazy-tongs member slidably mounted within and extending horizontally through said slots, said lazy-tongs member being provided at its forward end with a pair of crossed links, said cross links being slidably connected at their outer ends to the forwardmost one of said frames, means operatively engaging the rear end of said lazy-tongs member for causing said lazy-tongs member to extend and contract, and power-actuated means operatively connected to said last-named means for driving said lastnamed means and for causing said lazy-tongs member to extend and contract.

3. A foldable seating-structure adapted to shift across a `floor or similar support from a closed position against a wall `to an open position in which the seating-structure extends outwardly from the wall, said seating-structure comprising a plurality of telescoping frames, means associated with each of said frames for defining a horizontal slot, said means in each frame being so located that the horizontal slots defined thereby are in substantial registration with each other, a longitudinally extensible and contractible lazy-tongs member slidably mounted Within and extending horizontally through said slots, said lazy-tongs member being provided at its forward end with a pair of crossed and pivotally interconnected links, said links being slidably connected at their outer ends to the forwardmost one of said frames, means operatively engaging the rear end of said lazy-tongs member for causing said lazy-tongs member to extend and contract, and power-actuated means operatively connected to said last-named means for driving said last-named means and for causing said lazy-tongs member to extend and contract.

4. A foldable seating-structure adapted to shift across a floor or similar support from a closed position against a wall to an open position in which the seating-structure extends outwardly from the wall, said seating-structure cornprising a plurality of telescoping frames, a pair of vertically spaced horizontal bars associated with each of said frames for defining a horizontal slot, said bars in each frame being so located that the horizontal slots deiined thereby are in substantial registration with each other, a longitudinally extensible and contractible lazy-tongs member slidably mounted within and extending horizontally through said slots, slide means for slidably connecting said lazy-tongs member at its forward end to the forwardmost one of said frames, means operatively engaging the rear end of said lazy-tongs member for causing said lazytongs member to extend and contract, and power-actuated means operatively connected to said last-named means for driving said last-named means and for causing said lazytongs member to extend and contract.

5. A foldable seating-structure adapted to shift across a iioor or similar support from a closed position against a wall to an open position in which the seating-structure extends outwardly from the wall, said seating-structure comprising a plurality of telescoping frames, a pair of vertically spaced horizontal bars associated with each of said frames for defining a horizontal slot, said bars in each frame being so located that the horizontal slots defined thereby are in substantial registration with each other, a

longitudinally extensible and contractible lazy-tongs member slidably mounted Within and extending horizontally through said slots, said lazy-tongs member being provided at its forward end with a pair of crossed links, said cross links being slidably connected at their outer ends to the forwardmost one of said frames, means operatively engaging the rear end of said lazy-tongs member for causing said lazy-tongs member to extend and contract, and poweractuated means operatively connected to said last-named means for driving said last-named means and for causing said lazy-tongs member to extend and contract.

6. A foldable seating-structure adapted to shift across a floor or similar support from a closed position against a wall to an open position in which the seating-structure extends outwardly from the wall, said seating-structure cornprising a plurality of telescoping frames, a pair of vertically spaced horizontal bars associated with each of said frames for defining a horizontal slot, said bars in each frame being so located that the horizontal slots defined thereby are in substantial registration with each other, a longitudinally extensible and contractible lazy-tongs member slidably mounted within and extending horizontally through said slots, said lazy-tongs member being provided at its forward end with a pair of crossed and pivotally interconnected links, said links being slidably connected at their outer ends to the forwardmost one of said frames,

eans operatively engaging the rear end of said lazy-tongs member for causing said lazy-tongs member to extend and contract, and power-actuated means operatively connected to said last-named means for driving said lastnamed means and for causing said lazy-tongs member to extend and contract.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,365,252 Langill Jian. 11, 1921 1,597,265 `Cashiere Aug. 24, 1926 2,344,772 Heidenreich Mar. 21, 1944 2,706,835 Ullom Apr. 26, 1955 

